Month: July 2026

ArizonaRating: N/R (Not Rated)SeafoodSushiUnited States

Bluewater Grill – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:24 AM

Rodney Dangerfield, the legendary king of “no respect” comedy, had some hilarious and classic one-liners about seafood and fish.  For example, he lamented that “Some seafood restaurants lack originality and have the same signs. These signs often say, ‘The fish you eat today slept last night in some bay.’ When ordering fish, the only concern is how it is prepared. Where the fish slept or who it slept with makes no difference. A fish might taste better if it was morally bad.” Long-suffering readers have endured ad-nauseum missives about me having grown up in land-locked New Mexico before advances in transportation and refrigeration made fresh seafood available to the masses.  We didn’t even have Rodney Dangerfield’s “morally bad” fish.  For me and my siblings, “seafood” was Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks and Gorton’s breaded shrimp.  Sure, my dad and Grandpa Max introduced me and my brothers to Northern New Mexican rivers teeming with German brown trout, cutthroat trout and rainbow trout, but that hardly qualifies as “seafood.”  Worse, the one of us who caught the least amount of fish had to clean everyone else’s fish.  Almost invariably that was me. Obviously, the Duke City and landlocked New Mexico are at a disadvantage…

ArizonaBurgersRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Original Hamburger Works – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil Garduno9:31 AM

“When in Phoenix, do as Phoenicians do.”  If that means staying in air conditioned confines during the summer, we’re doing it.  If that means sticking with local culinary fare, not so much.  Blame that on “Only in Arizona,” a travel and lifestyle publication from the good folks who bring us “Only In Your State.”  A recent edition of Only in Arizona celebrated a “Phoenix Burger Joint” that “Has Cooked Over Real Mesquite for 40 Years.”  As if mesquite grilled burgers aren’t enticing enough, the article boldly declared “The green chile cheeseburger, with jalapeño cheese and a grilled green chile on top, is the one that converts first-timers into regulars.   Hmm, a green chile cheeseburger in Arizona that might actually be pretty good; it just hasn’t been my experience. Admittedly, I’ve only had fewer than a handful of green chile cheeseburgers in the Grand Canyon State.  Any memorability they have can be attributed to how mediocre (or worse) they’ve been.  Arizona would never be able to entice savvy staycators and Hatch familiar visitors to the “Arizona Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail.”  That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try.  They might first want to spend some time on New Mexico’s trail to see how…

ArizonaPizzaRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Bill’s Pizza – Prescott, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:02 AM

According to the city’s Chamber of Commerce, “Prescott, Arizona is a highly popular and nationally recognized retirement destination. Known as “Everybody’s Hometown,” it appeals to active adults and seniors looking for natural beauty, a relaxed lifestyle, and a strong sense of community.”  Prescott isn’t only popular among retirement-age personnel.  Many of my former colleagues at Intel Corporation in Chandler and Ocotillo (Phoenix suburbs) bought second homes in the Prescott area, not necessarily for retirement but to have an relatively nearby escape destination that is somewhat cooler than The Valley of the Sun’s triple-digit summer temperatures. Prescott was founded in 1864 to serve as the original capital of the newly established Arizona Territory. Today, it offers a unique blend of historic charm and modern convenience. While it is famous for its preserved 19th-century architecture, Western heritage, and walkable downtown—like the historic Whiskey Row and Courthouse Square—it serves as a thoroughly modern regional hub for central Arizona. Prescott is also known as “Arizona’s Christmas City.” The town, particularly the historic downtown and Courthouse Plaza, comes alive with over a million LED lights, a large gingerbread village, and a month-long celebration featuring parades, live music, and a unique New Year’s Eve event. The…

ArizonaCoffeeRating: OutstandingUnited States

Late For The Train – Flagstaff, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“The powers of a man’s mind are directly proportioned to the quantity of coffee he drinks.” ~Sir James Mackintosh Dr. Steve Spence, my friend and former colleague at the University of New Mexico, probably drank more coffee than anyone I’ve ever known.  Walk by his office at any time of day and you’ll hear the melodic, soothing sounds of his electric coffee grinder pulverizing roasted coffee beans into freshly ground coffee ready to be enjoyed.   He grinds fresh before every brew and believes pre-ground (bagged) coffee is an instrument of torture.   Unlike the rest of us who drink barrelfuls of coffee, he does not show or seem to feel outward worry, anger, or excitement. His calm, almost Vulcan-like demeanor exemplifies a composed, steady, and tranquil outward appearance, even in high-pressure or unusual situations.  His calmness belies the stereotypical high-strung, high-stress stereotype associated with javaphile junkies. Admittedly I’m is a relative neophyte to the lure of the coffee sirens (and I’m not nearly as sedate as Dr. Spence). Only in the past fifteen years or so have I rekindled my appreciation and love for the nuanced depth of flavors conferred by this stimulating and satisfying elixir. Few things in life have…

ArizonaRating: ExcellentSouthwesternUnited States

The Turquoise Room – Winslow, Arizona

Gil Garduno4:39 AM

The concept of “fast food” had a far different connotation during the Southwest’s Frontier days than it does today. This is especially true if one traveled via railroad through hundreds of miles of desolate, open country. In the more densely populated and genteel east there were often several cities between most destinations. This allowed for frequent rest and refreshment stops. Passengers rode in relative comfort in Pullman cars with dining cars. In the wide open west, only twenty minutes were allowed during each of the infrequent stops. Further, the food was as miserable as the travel conditions. According to Keith L. Bryant’s History of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, “meat was greasy and usually fried, beans were canned, bacon rancid and coffee was fresh once a week.” No doubt it was gastronomic distress that prompted the following ditty documented on the book Hear the Lonesome Whistle Blow by Dee Brown: “The tea tasted as though it was made from the leaves of sagebrush. The biscuit was made without soda, but with plenty of alkali, harmonizing with the great quantity of alkali dust we had already swallowed.” One man, an English emigrant named Fred Harvey was determined to change…

2023 James Beard Foundation "Best Chef - Southwest" SemifinalistAlbuquerqueBurgersNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)Santa Fe

Patty Man – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“Hotter than a sizzling flat-top, More powerful than a wood-fired grill, Able to stack towering flavors in a single bite… Look, up at the Sawmill! It’s a James Beard semifinalist It’s the king of the grill… It’s The Patty Man!“ Chef Sean “The Patty Man” Sinclair is a self-effacing guy, more like mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent than his “man of steel” alter ego.  You won’t see Chef Sinclair run into a phone booth to don his apron and toque nor will gawking crowds point toward him and utter “Look!  In the kitchen, it’s a cook.  It’s a chef.  It’s Sean Sinclair.”   Despite having been a semifinalist in the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef – Southwest” honors for 2025, he’s chosen a path that’s not as likely to garner such recognition as his previous stint as the executive chef at Level 5 at Albuquerque’s Hotel Chaco in Albuquerque Despite having served as a sous chef at the world-renowned, multiple-time three-Michelin starred restaurant The Inn at Little Washington, Chef Sinclair has left the more glamorous world of fine-dining to focus on more humble culinary ventures. In October 2025 and transitioned from executive chef at Level 5 to pursue entrepreneurial ventures with Heritage…

AlbuquerqueNew MexicoPizza

Tony’s Pizzeria – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Why is it so hard to convince others to change their minds and hearts? That’s a question philosophers, psychologists and even curious hoi polloi like me have pondered over for millennia. Perhaps never has that question been brought to the fore as during recent political events. Sadly, the question takes on even more of a personal bent when you believe someone else’s views betray something inherently rotten about their character—or when someone else believes the same about yours. Rightly or wrongly, we’re wired to believe people’s views are barometers of their moral conscience. Psychologists have long posited the existence of a confirmation bias which is a tendency to seek out information that confirms our existing views and to avoid information that disconfirms them.  Confirmation bias has exploded with the advent of social media.  Specific algorithms present information that appeals to our tastes.  Finding that information confirms our beliefs and rewards our dopamine receptors.  Studies have also shown that  when presented with information we don’t like or with which we disagree, our brains literally shut off and ignore it.  That accounts for the reason we as humans tend to “hang out” with people who are like us and believe the same…

AlbuquerqueAmericanBreakfast BurritosNew MexicanNew MexicoRating: Excellent

Albuquerque City Limits – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:32 PM

“It’s when I reach the city limits that my sense of security ends and my sense of adventure begins.” ~Anthony T. Hincks Author: Verbs in Storyland Why is it the term “city limits” conjures the same type of trepidation today that very early (before the Third Century BC) explorers must have felt when they thought the Earth was flat and if they navigated too far west, they’d fall off the edge of the map?   Why is it Hollywood has consistently portrayed the area just beyond city limits as either a dystopian wasteland or a bastion of lawless libertinage?  For that matter, why do so many “inner city” Duke City dwellers believe the city limits is too far a distance to travel for a good meal? Think I’m kidding?  When I told friends and colleagues about having discovered one of the state’s very best green chile cheeseburgers in the South Valley, their typical reactions were “only you would go that far for a burger” and “why didn’t you just go a little further and eat at The Owl.”   You’d think I had trekked to South America, not the South Valley.  You’d think I had risked life and limb.  Perhaps the South Valley…

Announcements

Red and Green: New Mexico’s Food Scene is On Fire – June, 2026

Gil Garduno1:01 AM

NEW MEXICO SENATOR HONORED BY JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION:  Although the Land of Enchantment’s chefs and restaurants were shut out in the James Beard Foundation’s 2026 honor roll, Senator Ben Ray Lujan was named a James Beard Impact Award honoree. Impact Awards recognize people who work to push for standards that create a more equitable, sustainable and economically viable restaurant industry and food system for producers, workers and consumers. Luján was honored for his work leading Senate Democrats in introducing bipartisan legislation to prevent funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) from being withheld during the government shutdown in 2025. Late in the year, Luján also led the caucus in introducing the Restoring Food Security for American Farmers and Families Act, which was designed to repeal cuts to the SNAP program passed into law as part of a Republican spending bill last summer. JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION (JBF) HONORS SANTA FE CHEF:  Although Chef Marc Quiñones,  executive chef at La Fonda on the Plaza in Santa Fe, was not among honorees celebrated in Chicago during the Foundation’s 2026 awards presentation, the talented and acclained chef earned a significant honor. …